February Stars
by njhill22
Summary: The unexpected outcomes of one fateful night.


**Lyrics from: Foo Fighters – February Stars**

It was a cool, cloudless night. The black abyss of the sky was filled with stars, emitting their pure white gleam that was light years away. Many were on their backs, looking up at the truly perfect night sky. Constellations showed clearly, planets could be seen if one knew where to look, even a shooting star graced the idyllic sky above.

A pristine night that he would dream about often afterward. One that would slowly begin to fade from his dreams, his thoughts, but occur once in a blue moon, the color it was on that night.

A night he had chosen to remember only what happened above the atmosphere, in space where everything appeared lucid, tranquil. He had turned what was truly a nightmare into something beautiful. Something he didn't want to remember, but was impossible to forget.

Loss. Trauma. Heartache.

It had all been turned into a stunning nighttime sky. One that he would hang on to, because he was forced to move on, forced to take an unexpected path. It was peculiar at first. He couldn't imagine the future like this before. He grew to accept it, for it was one in which he disconcertingly belonged.

_Hanging on  
Here until I'm gone  
Right where I belong  
Just hanging on_

Flashes of blinding lights sped passed him. White, red, green. Near hits. He had attracted the attention of one Death Eater in particular, after rendering another unconscious. He didn't stand a chance against this dark wizard. It was only his speed and zigzagging path that kept him from certain doom.

His path was leading him deeper into the battle ground, closer to where the primary combat was taking place. Leaping over the fallen, sending defensive shots behind him without a glance at the target, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't trip over his own feet…he willed himself to go faster. Faster than he had even gone in his entire life.

He pummeled into the enemy, somehow managing to not fall with him. Screams were growing louder. Screams he knew the owners of. He could only hope he wasn't too late, that the screams weren't the last futile struggles begging for mercy, for life.

That's when he saw it. The owner of the scream was on the ground, wandless, legs slowly curling into submission. It was then he made his decision. The first and last time he would ever use the most unforgivable of all curses.

The adversary crumpled to the ground. The submissive no longer weak as she quickly scrambled across the ground to recover her fallen wand. Every desperate move she made was fluid, graceful. But he had always been mesmerized by her, just never had the nerve to admit it. He would after this though. After this was all over, he would finally declare to her what everyone else already knew.

Captivation cost him. He fell to the ground, motionless, albeit in prime viewing position for the final act. She had ran straight toward it, fearless as ever.

It seemed like an eternal deadlock, neither willing to surrender. Neither one's allies able to break through to aid in the destruction of the other.

When it happened, it was swift. Rapid wand movements, a few flashes of light and it was all over. 

Death Eaters were dumbfounded. Some surrendered, others refused and continued to fight to their deaths.

Ron found himself able to move again, scrambling to his feet to find her. He wasn't afraid anymore and he was ready to tell the world.

In spite of this, the world had grown impatient.

_Even though  
I watched you come and go  
How was I to know  
You'd steal the show_

They had immediately run to each other, embracing. Ron began striding forward, determination set in, fear no longer a factor. About halfway to his goal it happened. It brought back memories from a few years prior. In a twisted replay of the past, Harry and Hermione's embrace turned into something more. Something that Ron had longed for.

He turned his head away from the scene, only to find an even more disturbing one in the surrounding foreground. Bodies lay scattered, most on their backs, eyes wide open as though they had been caught off guard. Amongst the Death Eaters he knew some of them were family members and friends.

Ron gazed up to where the many pairs of lifeless eyes had seen their last glimpse of existence. 

It was only then he noticed the brilliance of the venue. One that he would ultimately distort into perfection.

_One day I'll have enough to gamble  
I'll wait to hear you're final call  
I'll bet it all_

Inferior. That's how Ron had always viewed himself in comparison to Harry. Harry had everything he didn't. Talent, fame, money. Now he had the only girl that Ron had ever really wanted.

Ron often wondered afterward if Harry even knew how much it was hurting him to see them together. Sure, Ron had lied when Harry initially had asked if it bothered him. But what was he supposed to do? It's not like he could forbid them from seeing each other.

He only had himself to blame, his own insecurities keeping him from happiness.

For quite some time he hoped that their relationship would fall apart and he would be there to help pick up the pieces. It was what he focused on instead of the dead. There was nothing he could do about that. He couldn't bring back Charlie, George, or Neville. He couldn't reverse the permanent damage inflicted onto Ginny or Lupin.

But there was always hope that things would change between Harry and Hermione.

_Hanging on  
Here until I'm gone  
Right where I belong  
Just hanging on_

Ron moved on. He had to. After they got married he knew he couldn't continue pining for her. It didn't stop the nightmares. They happened almost every night. Over and over, the embrace, the motionless, gazing up to the vast sky above…

It was ironic how he ended up with Luna Lovegood. Harry and Hermione had suggested it after Luna seemed to have recovered from the loss of Neville, who was her boyfriend at the time. Not that Ron acted on the suggestion at first. In fact he thought it was ludicrous.

Of course they were friends. It was just a natural progression as they began to hang around each other more often. Though the relationship itself didn't feel natural. It was just someone to pass the time with instead of doing so alone. They both knew they were not each other's first choice, not even second. Somehow, this understanding made it okay. And in time they healed together. A bond that could never be broken had formed.

Unexpectedly, they ventured together into the unknown.

_Even though  
I pass this time alone  
Somewhere so unknown  
It heals the soul_

Quirky. That they both were. It was one undeniable fact Ron and Luna had in common. And that was the thought that made him smile as he watched her walk down the aisle toward him. She really was beautiful and he'd do anything for her. Just as the best man would do anything for the maid of honor.

Long ago it was Hermione that he envisioned walking toward him. He was just a bystander as she walked toward his best friend. Long ago this would've been an absurd scenario. Long ago he would do anything for her.

That had not changed. That would never change. He still would if she asked. She would always hold a small piece of him. One that he wished he could get back to give to Luna. One that she didn't even know she was holding captive.

_You ask for walls I'll build them higher  
We'll lye in shadows of them all  
I'd stand but they're much too tall  
And I fall_

The nightmares turned to dreams. Frequent dreams turned to occasional. Everyone had moved on, but not all scars were temporary. Some would carry scars with them until the day they died. Harry would still bear the mark on his forehead that haunted him during his youth. Hermione called any remainder of her injuries 'battle scars'. Not all scars were visible though.

All had lost loved ones and friends. It became apparent that Hermione was the strong enough person that could keep Harry level and get him through his guilt filled years that followed. Ron knew they ended up together for this very reason and he was grateful for it.

Ron was also grateful for Luna. If it were not for her, he would probably still be stuck in the hope of a future with a woman he had waited too long to go for. If it were not for Luna, he would still be falling into the oblivion that was leading him nowhere.

_February stars  
Floating in the dark  
Temporary scars  
February stars_

It was a cool, cloudless night. One that could be remembered as a night of great tragedy or one of eternal beauty.

Ron chose to remember the magnificence of it all. The day the wizarding world was saved. The day his best friends found true happiness. The day that forced him into the plentiful unknown.

A cool, cloudless night where many had their final view of the true beauty in life. 

Ron chose to remember the sky and the stars the shined so brilliantly on that February night.


End file.
